Spotlight: Las Vegas - The Venetian

Spotlight: Modeled after the streets of Venice, Italy, the Venetian is one of the top hotels along the Vegas strip. Among its attractions, visitors can visit replicas of famous landmarks including: The Grand Canal, St. Mark's Square, St. Mark's Campanile and the Rialto Bridge. The 5-diamond rated hotel is known for its rooms which are both spacious and elegant. The hotel complex, which includes the adjacent Sands Expo Convention Center and the Palazzo Hotel and Casino Resort, is the second largest hotel complex in the world, with thousands of rooms and suites ranging from $169 to $10,000 per night. The complex includes a museum, the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, a wedding chapel and four theaters. It is also home to dozens of restaurants serving food from all over the globe.

Location: The Venetian is located at 3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Cost: Shared Gondola ride - $29/person (seats 4); Private Gondola ride - $116

Time: Indoor Gondola rides run from 10:00 am - 11:00 pm daily (until midnight on weekends). Outdoor Gondola rides run from 11:00 am - 10:00 pm (weather permitting).

Description: Gondola rides float visitors down the Grand Canal in authentic Venetian gondolas. Riders are virtually transported to one of the most beautiful cities in Europe as they float beneath bridges, past Italian style cafes, under balconies, or along a replica of St. Mark's Square. Both the indoor ride and the outdoor ride offer unique experiences with different sights and sounds.

     Among the annual events that are hosted at the Venetian is the celebration of the Chinese New Year. We were there for the Year of the Goat (or Sheep). The decorations were exquisite, but if you go in February, you can also witness the dances and ceremonies that accompany the decorations.

Things You Should Know: - Reservations must be made in person at the ticket booth.
- The Venetian offers a class on how to pilot a gondola in a program they call the Gondola University. Participants learn the ins and outs of piloting a gondola, receive a gondola hat and t-shirt, a souvenir photo and a degree certificate from Gondola University. For questions or requests, call 702.414.4300.
- This year, they are celebrating the Year of the Dog.
- The legendary band Chicago will be performing at the Venetian this year from Feb. 7-24.

Nearby: Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, The Mirage, The Bellagio, The Stratosphere

Spotlight: Las Vegas - The Mirage's Secret Garden

Spotlight: A couple of years ago, my daughter's soccer team played in the Vegas Cup. Although we drive by Vegas several times a year, since it's not really our style of entertainment, we usually only stop for gas. However, since we were going to be staying there for several days, we decided to find some family-friendly entertainment. One of the places we found was Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage. Although the dolphins were cool, what we really were interested in was the white lions and tigers. White tigers have always been my favorite animal, and I'd never seen white lions before. White tigers and lions used to be part of the famed Siegfried & Roy show that was performed here until Roy Horn was attacked by the white tiger Mantecore in a 2003 performance. The show was discontinued, but the big cats and their descendants can still be safely seen within the Secret Garden.

Location: The Mirage is located at 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd, in downtown Las Vegas.

Cost: $22/adult; $17 children (4-12)

Time: Open from 11:00 am - 5:30 pm (Mon. - Fri.) and 10:00 am - 5:30 (Sat. & Sun.). Plan on spending about an hour or more.

Description: Although Mantecore eventually died of natural causes, another white tiger and several white lions still live at the Secret Garden. In fact, when we went, there were several young white lions that were having fun tussling and playing with a carton cylinder.

     In addition to the great, white cats, there are also some leopards and a black jaguar.

     The Dolphin Habitat is a multi-pooled sanctuary for bottle-nose dolphins. Trainers regularly exercise the dolphins, so find try and stick around for that if you can. Unfortunately we missed out on that.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5); potentially greater with the dolphin show

Things You Should Know: - As is the case elsewhere in Vegas, families should be cautious about exploring other venues within the Mirage, some of which are definitely not family-friendly.
- If you go, check online for coupons ahead of time.
- If you take a VIP tour, you can get a behind the scenes look at the facility. The Trainer for a Day program gives visitors the opportunity to feed, swim with, and even practice "training" the dolphins.
- If you go during the heat of the day, the cats will likely be napping. Try to go early for best viewing.
- Rather than driving around and trying to find parking, it is much easier to walk from place to place.

Nearby: The Venetian, Caesar's Palace, Sands Expo Convention Center, The Bellagio

Spotlight: Las Vegas - The Stratosphere

Spotlight: Built in 1995, the Stratosphere is one of the most recognizable hotels along the famous Vegas Strip. Reminiscent of the Space Needle in Seattle, the Stratosphere is the tallest free-standing observation tower in the United States (1,149 feet/350.2 meters). The tower has two observation decks. The first is a rotating restaurant known as "Top of the World." Above that is a deck dedicated to adrenaline junkies - complete with 4 thrill rides: Big Shot, Insanity, Sky Jump Las Vegas and X-Scream. The hotel is actually a separate building (24 floors) with 2,427 rooms.

View from the top

Location: The Stratosphere is located at 2000 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Cost: Observation Deck admission - $20/adult, $14/child, $10/hotel guest
     Tower + 1 ride - $25; Tower + 2 rides - $30; Tower + 3 rides - $35
     Sky Jump - $119.99
     An unlimited rides pass to Big Shot, Insanity and X-Scream - $39.95
     - Add $5 per ticket on weekends (Fri-Sat)
   
Time: The rides are open Sun-Thurs from 10:00 am - 1 am; Fri-Sat from 10:00 am - 2:00 am. Plan on spending about 1-2 hours.

Description: Since we didn't stay at the hotel, visit the casino or eat in the restaurant, I can't really comment on those. However, my daughter and I did go up to the top deck to check out the rides.

     When it was built, Big Shot (1,081 feet/329 meters) was the highest thrill ride in the world. It is a pneumatically powered tower ride in which you strap yourself into your seat. Then you wait, knowing that you're going to shoot up into the air, but never quite sure when until suddenly, ZOOM! Your seat shoots about 150 feet up at 45 mph. Then you drop about halfway and shoot up again. You yo-yo a couple of times before slowly descending to the deck.

     Insanity is appropriately named. First you strap into your seat next to your neighbor. The five pairs of seats are attached to a claw-like contraption that slowly maneuvers out over the edge of the tower until you are looking down at the street 900 feet below. Then it starts rotating at about 40 mph as the chairs swing out at about a 45 degree angle. You swing like that for almost two minutes before the claw stops rotating and slowly maneuvers back onto the deck. My daughter screamed the entire time. I laughed so hard I got a headache.

     Sky Jump Las Vegas holds the Guinness World Record for highest commercial decelerator descent with an official height of 829 feet. After riders are given a brief safety lesson, they suit up in a special jumpsuit and led to the edge where they have to jump off. They are attached to the tower by a machine called the "descender" which controls the speed of their fall, particularly near the end.
     X-Scream is approximately 866 feet high. Riders strap into a roller-coaster style bobsled that slides along a 68 foot straight piece of track. When the ride starts, the sled see-saws back and forth along the length of the track which extends 27 feet past the edge of the tower.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5) - We only did Big Shot and Insanity.

Things You Should Know: - Prices are higher on the weekend, so it pays to go during the week. Although you don't have to stay at the hotel to go on the attractions, they do offer significant discounts to paying guests.
- They take the safety of their guests seriously. If their is any indication that the ride isn't functioning at optimum performance it is shut down until the problem is completely fixed. As a result, not all the rides may be open when you go. We missed out on X-Scream because it was closed  for maintenance.

Nearby: Adventuredome Theme Park, The Mirage, Caesar's Palace, The Bellagio